Restaurant Industry Research Guide

About

This guide contains a list of databases and other tools that are useful in researching the Restaurant Industry. The guide is not meant to be comprehensive, but it will point researchers to some of the best resources available for this topic. The guide covers both industry and marketing resources, as well as points to some company analysis tools.

Passport GMID

Passport GMID contains market research reports, swot analyses, consumer lifestyle reports on various topics around the dining and restaurant industry.

Search tips:

Once you log into the database, use the “Search Tree” on the left side of the page and choose “Consumer Foodservice” in the the drop-down menus. On the next pages, select the categories you need, then choose locations to find market research reports.

To find SWOT analyses for different companies, search by company name in the search box in the top right of the database. As an example, as search for Cracker Barrel finds a “Local Company Profile” that contains a SWOT and other information. Please note that not all companies are covered.

Mintel Oxygen

Mintel Oxygen contains market research reports on topics such as casual dining, family midscale, attitudes toward dining out, and more.

Search Tip:

When you log in to the database, go directly to the FoodService section and browse for reports.

Mergent Online

Use Mergent Online to find company profiles and financicals, compare companies, equity (stock) reports, and much more.

Hoover’s Online

Hoover’s Online has basic company profiles and some company comparison information.

IbisWorld

IbisWorld contains industry research reports for over 700 industries. A search for “dining” or “restaurants” will yield a variety of relevant reports.

Factiva

Factiva contains company and industry news, in addition to company financials, ratios, and more. Search Tip: Use the Companies & Markets

Business Source Complete

Business Source Complete can be used to fill in the gaps in your research with information from business magazines, journals, and trade publications. Hint: One of the best resources for industry information is trade publications, which are found in this database. BSC also contains company profiles and SWOT analyses.

Copyright & Access

Please note that the majority of resources linked on this site are subscription databases. If you are not a member of the Ohio University Academic Community, you should check with your local library for access or search WorldCat for the database name and find a library near you.

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